Rolling door mechanism



Feb. 12, 1935. H. e. KELLY ROLLING DOOR MECHANISM Filed March 26, 1931 3Sheets-Sheet 1 g Feb. 12, 1935. KELLY 1,990,870

ROLLING DOOR MECHANI SM Filed March 26, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 u il'[mania/.

Feb. 12, 1935. H. G. KELLY 1,990,870

ROLLING DOOR MECHANI SM Filed March 26, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 f .14. f.15. 1574 9 9 jag Jib/1y Gfell stares b: a door ,frarnefas an linemen,the'doon.

Patented Feb. 12, less I [1.990.870 B0 e DO ISMI v G rK ny, Omaha, Nebr.

Application 26,

The present. invention relates. to a door and hanging means'the'refofr;and as employed in the present instancefit generally. r atesjto a doorwan -m b iopanas 'is re l a ra e;- wi a low ceiling. closed. downwardly,and ,moved The objects'of the present invention amongother'sjincliidethe rouej g I I improved ,I neansffor sus'pending anupwardlyroHingdoor;

I' YQI. me n 10: .mq ine Id l q la ral t at ii i tski vem aue eas necloselyIeng'age-the stopsof adoor strame;

"A novel track'fohasectionaldoor;

An unique arrangement of track, rollers and deflectors to provide an'iml fOVM door guiding and supporting'device;

An unique meansof balancing aneupwardly rolling door so that the forcerequired to open and close the door its reduced top maximum;

A means of coordin'ating the closingmotion of the upper panel of anupwardly and inwardly rolling sectional door, with the motion at othersections of the door to assure-atight closure,- a frictionless releaseof the door, and a level posii-ion when in horizontal open position; a v

A means for counter-balancing a door during the progress of thedoor fromits vertical closed position to its horizontal open position and viceversa.

A new bracket securing a section of a horizontal track for a rollingdoor to a ceiling, such bracket being adjustable to ceilings ofdifferent heights from the plane of the track section.

These, and such other objects of the invention as may hereinafterappear,are 'obtained by the novel construction, unique arrangement, andimproved combination of elements illustrated in the accompanying severalsheets of drawings, disclosing several forms-of the invention, and inwhich Figure-l is a cross section of a garage showing a dooropening-with the door here described in full lines in openpositionfi'and the door in dotted lines in its closed position. In saidfigure one of the two vertical sections of track used with thedeflectors and recesses associated therewith is shown with aco-extending curved section of track, and two forms of supplementaltrack. There is also shown in said figure one of two horizontal tracksections and-one form of a door balancing means.

Figure 2 is a 3roken .elevation showing the Figure. 5;is a ,.yertica1flongitudinalsection of a 1 vertical tragk -showingethe, laterallydeflected position oi a roller} when inxcontact with a-dehector andpartlvregeivediwithin an opposed recess at the point of closureofthe-door.

, 1 Figure 6 isaverticalcrossisection-showing' the relation of the:;.UDP 10llerS of a door with the upper-tracks therefor, the opendoor'being supported in-a truly horizontal-'positionby theicon- .tact,oi the uppermost -rol1er.;with :the upper exteriori ce of the track andbyother rollers in contact with a lower interior track-surface. fIhlsfigure also-shows the positlon-ot-the two' upper rollers in relation-to' supplemental tracks associatedwith the. doorbrackets."-

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an upper corner of a door showing twoupper rollers adapted to, be guided bysupplemental tracks'to assuretight closure .of the. upper panel of the door.

Figure 8 shows one of two opposed brackets and its association with thecurved section of the main door track and two sections of supplementaltracks which contact with the rollers of the upper panel, and it alsoillustrates rollers adapted to guide cables at the time. when the dooris about to be closed. I

Figure 9 showsa bracket with an associated curved section'of the maintrack and another form of a supplemental track.

Figure 10 is a perspective ;view of the bracket,

tracks and cable-guiding; rollers shown in elevation in Figure 9. 1

Figure 11 is a crosssection of the upper portion of a lowceiling roomwith-the upper portion of a main door track and the supplemental trackshown in Figure 8. The door is in open position and one form of doorbalancing means is attached to the wall over the door opening.

Figure 12 is a partly broken away View of the upper portion of a wall, adoor, and balancing means for the door attached to the wall over a dooropening therein.

Figure 13 is an illustration of a balancing means attached to a wallopposite the door opening therein.

Figure 14 shows a simplified form of a door balancing means attached tothe wall over a door opening. the door being shown in open position andtwo locations for the counter spring being illustrated.

Figure 15 shows the simplified form of balancing means illustrated inFigure 14 attached to the wall opposite the door opening.

Figures 16 and 17 illustrate a simplifled balancing means attached to aceiling and two 10- cations for the counter-balancing spring thereofwhich in Figure 16 is attached to a support bracket below the horizontaldoor track and which in Figure 17 is attached to the ceiling or the wallover a door opening.

Figures 18 and 19 show a bracket support for the free end of thehorizontal track attached to a calling, such support being adjustable toceilings of different heights from the track.

Like reference characters are used to designate similar parts in thedrawings and in the description of the invention which follows.

The invention is adapted particularly for use in a garage or anindustrial building having a relatively low ceiling. About a wide dooropening 20 in a wall of such a building, there are vertical framemembers 21 and a transverse frame member 22 extending between framemembers 21 above the door opening 20.

Associated with frame members 21 and 22 are stops 23 having a face 24perpendicular to the face of frame members 21 and 22, and capable ofregistry with the edge of the side of a door 25 closing opening 20.

A supporting member 26 is attached to the wall and to vertical framemember 21 on either side of opening 20 and extends above vertical framemembers 21 if so desired. A vertical section of track 2'1 is secured tosaid supporting members. Saidtrack consists of one member 28 adjacent tothe supporting members and having a surface 29 parallel to the face ofdoor 25, and a second track member 30 having a flat surface 31 opposedto surface 29 of track member 28. By making the track member 30 of anangular member, two opposed surfaces 32 formed of the wingsperpendicular to track surface 31 are provided, as shown. Track member30 is formed to permit of its engagement with surface 29 so that thetrack members may be secured to supporting member 26 in exact registryby lag screws or other suitable fastening means.

Track section 27 extends vertically in contact with vertical supportmember 26 until adjacent the upper portion of door opening 20 wheretrack section meets a curved section 33 of the track having innersurfaces in continuation of inner surfaces of vertical track section 27.

A bracket 34 is attached to track 27 and to support member 26 and alsoto track section 33 and maintains the registry of the upper end of tracksection 2'1 and the lower end of track section 33. A track section 35 isattached to bracket 34 in horizontal continuation of the upper end ofcurved track section 33. The end of track section 35 furthest removedfrom door opening 20 is supported by an adjustable bracket 36 generallyattached to the garage ceiling.

Bracket 34 has a flanged portion 3'1 for attachment to the supportingmember 26, which may be either the wall or the ceiling. Said bracket 34may carry, alone or conjointly, a curved track section38 with opposedsurfaces 39 and 40 perpendicular to the face of bracket 34, a tracksection 41 with an upper curved surface 42, and

balancing a track section 43 with opposed surfaces 44 and 45. Bracket 34may also carry one or more rollers 46 supported on brackets 47 to guidea cable 48 attached at one end to door 25.

Associated with track member 30 are several deflectors 49 in staggeredvertical relationship with each other-and having surfaces 50 inclineddownward and away from the surface 31 of said track member 30. Each ofthe deflectors 49 encountered in movement upwardly from the lower end oftrack member 30 has one corresponding edge separated a successivelygreater distance from one lateral inner face 32 of track member 30. Thecorresponding edges referred to are either toward door opening 20 oraway from said door opening in both track members 30.

Opposed to the deflectors 49 in track member 30 are recesses 51 disposedin track member 28, said recesses being in staggered verticalrelationship with each other and having inclined surfaces 52 parallel tosurfaces 50.

The door 25 adapted to close opening 20 comprises sections 53 hingedtogether and carries a plurality of rollers positioned on spindlesextending laterally from the two vertical edges of said door. Near thebottom of the lowest section 53 of the door, there is a pair of brackets54. Each of said brackets terminate in a spindle 55 upon which a roller56 rotates.

At each end of sections 53 where said sections are joined together,there is a hinge member 57 having opposed wings 58 secured to opposedand adjacent sections 53. Said hinge members 57 include a pintle 59terminating in a roller shaft 60 on which a roller 61 rotates.

In Figure 2, there is illustrated a roller 56 in each track positionedadjacent to the wing surface 32 nearest the door 25. Each of the rollers61 encountered upwardly from roller 56 is separated asuccessivelygreater distance from the wing surface 32 just mentioned,the uppermost roller 61 being adjacent to the opposed wing surface 32. I

When used in conjunction with the supplemental track section 43,illustrated in Figure 10, rollers 56 are adjacent the wing surface 32farthest from door 25 and the rollers 61 are separated a diiferentdistance from said wing surface, the uppermost roller 61 being adjacentto the wing surface 32 nearest the door 25.

Each of the deflectors 49, as will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, is sopositioned that only when door 25 is about to be closed do the severalrollers 56 and 61 register with the deflectors 49 provided therefor. Asthe door 25 is raised, roller 56 disengages its associated deflector 49and simultaneously all rollers 61 disengage their associated deflectors49.

In the further upward movement of the door 25, the deflectors 49 do notinterfere with the free movement of the door 25 for the rollers 56 and61 cannot contact with any of the deflectors 49 except the particularone provided for the engagement of each when the closing movement of thedoor is about to be completed.

The diameter of rollers 56 and 61 being but slightly less than thedistance separating track surfaces 29 and 31, the lateral displacementof rollers 56 and 61 by contact with deflectors 49 is made possible bythe reception of said rollers partly within recesses 51 in track member28. As said recesses 51 are in staggered relation, as shown in Figures 2and 3, no roller can be received in a recess except in the recessprovided for each roller at the completion of the closing movement ofdoor 25.

By means of this simultaneous co-operation between all of the deflectors49, recesses 51, and rollers 56 and 61 a lateral movement is imparted todoor 25 outwardly against stops 23 at the completion of its downwardclosing movement.

As door 25 is raised, each roller 56 and 61 becomes disengaged from itsassociated deflector 49. The pressure of door 25 against the stops 23 offrame members 21 is thereby removed to permit the raising of door 25 ina movement free from frictional contact with said stops 23. As saidupward movement of door 25 continues, each roller 56 and 61 contactswith inclined surface 52 of recess 51 into which said roller has beenpreviously received, thereby forcing said roller into the portion oftrack section 27 bounded by opposed track surfaces 29 and 31. Thus,throughout the upward movement of the door, the path of said door 25 ismaintained at a uniform distance from stops 23 on frame members 21.

To understand the manner in which the tight closure of the upper portionof the uppermost section 53 of door 25 against stops 23 of frame members21 and 22 is obtained reference should be had to Figures 1, 8, 9 and 10which show one of a pair of support brackets 34 carrying alternate formsof supplemental tracks 38, 41 and 43, guiding rollers 62, 63 and 64carried by the uppermost section 53 of door 25. It will be noted thattracks 38, 41 and 43 provide a path entirely independent of the pathprovided for rollers 56 and 61 by curved track section 33.

Figures 1 and 8 illustrate a track section 38 associated with bracket 34for guiding a roller 62 extending laterally from the edge of door 25 asshown in Figure 7. Track section 38 provides opposed track surfaces 39and 40. Track surface 40 is a continuation of the uppermost outersurface of track section 35 and terminates adjacent the uppermost doorsection 53 in a curve 65 inclined to the face 24 of stops 23, wherebyroller 62, contacting with said curved section 65 of track surface 40,guides the uppermost portion of said door section tightly against stops23 of frame members 21 and 22 at the moment of the completion of theclosing motion of door 25.

With the opening movement of door 25, the contact of the uppermost doorsection 53 with stops 23 is immediately released, and roller 62 ridesalong track surface 40 and subsequently along the uppermost outersurface of track section 35.

When a counterbalancing force is applied horizontally to the door 25,the upper flange section of track 38 providing track surface 39 may beeliminated, thus leaving the lower flange forming track surface 40 toact as a deflector.

Figure 6 illustrates, in elevation, the relation of the position ofroller 62 secured by a bracket to the edge of door 25 to the position ofrollers 56 and 61 secured to the face of a door 25 whereby when the door25 is in its open horizontal position, all door sections are supportedby rollers 56, 61 and 62 in a straight plane with no section forced outof alignment from such plane.

Figures 1 and 8 illustrate a track 41 with an upper curved surface 42partly concentric with surface 40 of track 38. Contacting with surface42 of track 41 is a roller 63 mounted on a spindle 67 extendinglaterally from a bracket 68 secured to the uppermost door section 53,said bracket extending perpendicularly from the face of door 25 topermit said roller 63 to clear track 33. The

lower portion of surface 42 of track member 41 is convergent toward theplane of face 24 of stops 23 whereby the contact of roller 63 with saidlower portion of surface 42 forces the uppermost door section 53 tightlyagainst stops 23 of frame members 21 and 22 at the moment when theclosing movement of door 25 is completed. The progress of roller 63along track surface 42 as the door is opened, releases top door section53 immediately from contact with said stops23, and as the openingmovement continues, guides said door into a horizontal position withroller 62 riding upon the uppermost outer surface of track 35. Suchguiding direction takes place with or without the cooperation of track38, as desired.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate still another track section 43 secured to abracket 34 and p ing inner opposed surfaces 44 and 45, said opposedsurfaces being continuations of a narrow portion of the verticallyopposed inner surfaces of track 35. Co-operating with track 43 andhorizontal track section 35 is a roller 64 rotating on a spindle 69carried by a bracket 70 secured to the face of the uppermost doorsection 53.

When track 43 is used, spindle 55 of bracket 4 is lengthened,positioning roller 56 adjacent the inner surface 32 of track section 27away from door 25.

Rollers 61 encountered upwardly are mounted on spindles 60 successivelyshorter so as to position rollers 56 and 61 in staggered relation, theuppermost roller 61 being adiacent surface 32 nearest door 25.Deflectors 49 and recesses 51 are positioned in track members 30 and 28respectively to co-operate with rollers 56 and 61 as described before.

It will be seen that track surface 44 converges toward the plane of stopsurfaces 24 whereby contact with roller 64 presses uppermost doorsection 53 tightly against stops 23 of frame members 21 and 22 when thedoor 25 is closed, all pressure being released immediately the said door25 is raised upwardly for opening. As the opening motion is continued,roller 64 is guided along track section 43 and into track section 35.

When door 25 is closed, roller 64 is positioned directly above roller 56so that roller 56, travelling upwardly as the door is opened, willcontact with the under surface of track 43 stopping movement of the doorat this point. Track 35 being positioned above door opening 20, thisstoppage does not prevent the vertical clearance of door opening 20 bydoor 25.

In this instance all rollers 56, 61 and 64 are positioned in exactly thesame perpendicular relationship to the face of all door sections 53,whereby said door sections are supported without upward distortion ofany section when door 25 is in its open horizontal position.

In Figure 7 there is shown a cable-guiding member 71 attached touppermost door section 53 and controlling the position of a cable 48when the door 25 is closed. There are other cable-guiding members 72secured adjacent to the junctures of door sections 53 and an adjustablefastening means 73 to secure cable 48 to the lowest door section 53.

Cable 48, leading from a counter-balancing means, is carried over aguide roller 46 secured by a bracket 47 to bracket 34, and thence,contacting with cable-guiding members 71 and 72 to fastening means 73.Bracket 46 is positioned on bracket 34 and cable-guiding member 71 ispositioned on uppermost door section 53 so that the angle of cable 48 tosaid door section will provide for the application of thecounter-balancing force with the least friction as said door section isguided in its initial opening movement by the co-operation of tracksections 38, '41 or 43, said force being transferred to other doorsections 53 as guide members 71 and '72 successively pass by guideroller 46 in the continuance of the opening movement of door 25. Bycarrying cable 48 outwardly of roller shafts 60, said shafts may act ascable guides in place of cable guides '72 if so desired.

An unique means for counter-balancing the variable effective weight of adoor 25 throughout its movement from a vertical closed position to ahorizontal, open position, is shown in various forms in Figures 1, 11,12, 13, 14 and 15.

In all of .the forms shown, such counterbalancing means includes a cabledrum '74 opposed to each lateral edge of door 25, said drum 74 havingaround its circumference a cable receiving surface '75, around whichcable 48 may be wound, said drum 74 being fixedly attached to a shaft'76 rotatable in the journals of brackets '77 secured to a wall orceiling.

Said shaft '76 may continue from one drum '74 to the other of said drums'74 to equalize the application of counterbalancing force to both sidesof the door 25.

On said shaft 76 there is also fixed a cable drum '78 with acircumferential surface 79 flanked by flanges 80, said surface '79carrying a cable 81 having one end fixed to said drum '78 and the otherend attached to the end of a coil spring 82. The other end of saidspring is attached to a wall, ceiling or floor of the room structure,there being a turnbuckle or other means of adjustment 83 therebetween.

In Figures 1, 11, 12 and 13, cable 48, extending from its point ofattachment to a door 25 over guide roller 46, is wound around surface'75 of drum '74 in complete frictional contact, and thence aroundhorizontal pulley 84 and vertical pulley 85, to a weight 86, said weightcounter-balancing the effective weight of door 25 in its verticalposition.

The effective weight of door 25, however, is decreased steadily as moreand more of the effective weight of said door is supported by rollersresting on track 35. It is obvious that the counterweighing force may berelatively decreased by the action of a selected compensating force asthe door is opened.

To provide such force, cable 81 is attached to cable-drum '78 so that,as the door 25 is being opened and shaft '76 is being rotated by theaction of counterweight 86 on drum 74, cable 81 winds on drum 78stretching coil spring 82 until, during the door movement and in thefully open position of door 25, the decreased effective weight of saiddoor is counterbalanced by the pull of the extended spring 82 retardingthe force exerted by weight 86 on door 25.

In Figures 1, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, the diameter of cable drum '78 isshown as less than the diameter of cable drum '74 in ordenthat thedistance of extension of spring 82 relative to the distance of travel ofthe door may be reduced, an important requirement in most installations.

Moreover, as the pull of an extended coil spring varies with thedistance of spring extension, so doors of different weights and theirassociated counterweights may be counterbalanced by varying the distanceof extension of the spring by merely changing the diameter of cable drum'78.

In Figures 14, 15, 16 and 1'7, a simplified counterbalancing means isshown. In such form the cable drums '74 and '78 are fixedly mounted on ashaft '76 as previously described. In this instance, cable 48 is securedto drum '74, so that as door 25 is being opened, cable 48 may be woundon surface '75 of drum '74 in cooperation with the simultaneousunwinding of cable 81 secured to drum 78 whereby the force exerted byextended spring 82, fully counterbalancing the effective weight of door25 in its vertical closed position, is gradually reduced as theextension of spring 82 and the effective weight of said door progressingto its horizontal open position, are both correspondingly reduced.

In Figures 1, 13 and 15, the brackets '77 of the balancing means areshown attached to a wall opposite the door opening 20, it being obviousthat said brackets 7'7 may be turned upward to be secured to the ceilingor to another bracket extending downward from the ceiling, as shown inFiguresl6 and 1'7.

In Figures 11, 12 and 14, said brackets '77 of the balancing means areshown attached to the wall above a door opening 20. Said brackets,however, may be turned upwardly to be secured to the ceiling.

The location of spring 82 is parallel to the wall, as shown in Figures11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Such location can be changed to a positionparallel to the ceiling as shown in Figures 14 and 1'7 or attached tobracket 34 or to the wall so as to be suspended beneath the underside oftrack 35 and parallel with it.

In Figures 1, 15, 1'7, 18 and 19 is illustrated a bracket 36 securingthe free end of track 35 to the ceiling. Bolted to track 35 is a bracketmember 86 here illustrated as having three pairs of lugs 89 extendingfrom its upper face. Each pair of lugs has opposed holes 8'7 to receivea pintle 90 for hingedly securing the end of a channel shaped shaft 91bored at intervals along its length with holes 92.

Another shaft 93 of lesser size, capable of sliding contact with a shaft91, and having similar holes 94, terminates in a hinged connection witha bracket member 95, capable of being secured to a ceiling.

Shafts 91 and 93 are bolted together through selected holes 92 and 94 toprovide the approximate length required, and each connected shaft isbrought to the ceiling where bracket member 95 is secured to the ceilingby means of screws or otherwise.

The angle of the joined shafts 91 and 93 to the ceiling being variableas well as the length of said joined shafts, said bracket 36 isadjustable to a wide range of heights of the ceiling from track 35.

Bracket member 95, being secured in hinged connection with shaft 93 bymeans of pintle 96 passing through holes 9'7 in shaft 93, it is obviousthat similar holes 97 in shaft 91 may be used to receive pintle 96 ofbracket member 95, thereby eliminating shaft 93 when adjustable bracket36 is used in connection with low ceilings as shown in Figures 15 and16.

I claim:

1. A supporting means for a door which in closed position occupies avertical plane and in open position a horizontal plane, comprising atrack, a bracket secured to said track and having arms hingedlyconnected thereto, and fastening plates for said arms hingedly attachedthereto whereby angular position of said bracket said groups 01' arms ina select position of extension, each 01' said second group or armshaving an attaching plate hingedly associated therewith, the telescopicrelation of said two groups of arms and the angular position thereof tothe track holding member and attaching plates determining the positionof said track supporting member and the track supported thereby relativeto a horizontal supporting wall.

